I got problems with back pain but also, I am totaly addicted to windsurfing, as we all are. So I would like to hear your experience about that big problem. How to prevent and avoid bigger injury. I am talking about disc prolapse!

I have back problems too, but not disc related "sloppy spine". I must train my core muscles extensively to keep from straining my back, plus I do a good warm up before doing anything with my back.

Something that may help you? I have been wearing a weight lifting belt every time I sail for the last 10 or more years. It's stiff nylon, about 6" (15cm) wide and attaches with velco. It really helps in really choppy water when the board "pounds" through the chop.

The quick answer is: avoid large and heavy sails and exercise when you're not windsurfing.

My back problems started when I bough 9.8 Gaastra GTX and since I treat it really serious (I don't want to end up my sports "career" anytime soon, actually I want to keep ripping until I'm 70 or so ;-)) here are the remedies I treated myself with:

- sold 9.8 3-cam semi-wide pocket, bought 9.0 Gaastra Swift, 1.7kg lighter, only 2 cams and narrow pocket. Much(!) better, sail is easier to sail, pump, slog when waiting for the wind, carry around and actually has better low-end (gets on plane earlier)
- got a quality(!) downhaul winch; I don't rig my 7.5 and 9.0 without it. Get a good one; I'm not using the first one I got since it was not really solid and didn't work well with my mast extension (the clew got covered)
- got the quality downhaul line: Marlow Formuline (white) - it's expensive but it makes a difference in downhauling and lifetime

I have a computer job and sit most of the day which is in my opinion the core of the problem. The lower-spine gets compressed, muscles get weaker and then when you go sailing it's just too much.
- do some other exercises every day (I bike to my work, I bought "paddle" machine to train at home - good for your back muscles, I installed a training pull-up bar in my office, just hanging is relaxing for your spine). I also figured soccer is not good for my spine, but well, I keep doing it.
- sit really straight in front of your computer
- take it easy when uphauling, keep your back straight, use your weight, legs, feet and board rail, not your back
- avoid carrying heavy stuff, just save your back from that. Sounds pathetic, but I just don't get involved into "help me move my furniture" parties if you know what I mean.

Again, I treat it serious, have 2 friends who had to go through spine surgeries, this means like 3-6 months recovery, including 1 month when you barely can walk. One of them was a hardcore soccer and tennis fan and none of them really got any "injury", one of them was just doing a lot of sports and was gradually getting more and more pain in his lower back and leg and finally he had to go for a surgery.